Annoying Co-Worker?~Joan Jerkovich “Your” Life Coach

Joan Jerkovich - October 4, 2013 10:46 am

I work in an office with a co-worker who has the bad habit of chewing gum loudly and popping it. She works in the cubicle next to mine and does this constantly. It has become so annoying I need to make it stop. What should I do?

You can choose to either address this yourself or turn it over to your manager who gets paid the big bucks to deal with these petty issues, such as: the stinky co-worker; the co-worker who’s always trying to sell you their kids’ fundraiser crap; or the co-worker who joins the office pool for take-out Starbucks, only to stiff you on the bill…well, maybe that one you should handle yourself!

If you choose to address a co-worker nuisance yourself, gauge what you think will be the best way to do that. From what you know about this co-worker, would it be better to address them directly or indirectly. The direct approach is to simply tell them that their gum popping is distracting you from your work. Ask them to stop. Be nice and give them your best fake smile. Or, use one of the following indirect approaches such as leaving a note on their desk or sending them an email. Or, tell their immediate supervisor to address this issue for you. The beauty in having their supervisor address this is that they can leave your name out of it. I guarantee you that if this bad habit is annoying to you, it is also annoying to your other cubicle mates. Chomp, chomp, pop, pop, take this bull by the horns and make it stop!

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Where will you find the resolve to address this issue?

What might cause you to put up with this annoying habit one more day?

How will addressing this issue help you develop better personal boundaries?